Browns game notes

Monday

Sep 24, 2007 at 12:01 AMSep 24, 2007 at 3:49 PM

A look at the Browns' loss to the Raiders

Todd Porter

They lost it here

Late in the third quarter, on third-and-6 from the Cleveland 29, QB Derek Anderson rolled out. His progressions led him to find WR Tim Carter, who was wide open in the middle of the field for a first down. Carter dropped the pass. Almost as bad was Anderson missing a wide-open Joe Jurevicius about 25 yards down the field with not a single Raider defender around him. Cleveland punted. Oakland converted a third-and-23 screen pass in the middle of an 11-play drive that led to a field goal and a 26-17 lead. The Browns needed to get the defense off the field or keep the offense on it during those two possessions. They could do neither.

They said it

“We didn’t play a very good football game today. Offensively, we couldn’t get on track. Defensively, we couldn’t stop them. They threw it on us. They ran it on us. ... We gave up over 100 yards rushing again, and that seems to be par for the course around here.”

-- Head Coach Romeo Crennel

“It’s as devastating as you make it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over. You’ve got to play next week. You can’t sit there and pout about this week’s game. We’ve got the Ravens to play next week.”

-- Tight end and co-captain Steve Heiden

Player of the game

Raiders RB LaMont Jordan continues to be a Cleveland killer. He rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. His 27-yard screen pass on third-and-21 late in the fourth quarter was a back-breaker. Jordan has eight career 100-yard rushing games, three against the Browns.

Up and down

Josh Cribbs is the first player in Browns history to have a kickoff return for a TD in three straight seasons. Cribbs took back a 99-yarder for a TD Sunday to give Cleveland its first points. A week after lighting up Cincinnati’s defense and being named AFC Player of the Week, Anderson struggled. He completed 18 of 37 passes for 248 yards. His passer rating, with two interceptions, was 57. It was 121 last week. What happened to Jamal Lewis? He was integral a week ago but went missing Sunday. Lewis got just 15 carries for 56 yards. Cleveland’s defense has given up 927 yards the last two weeks

Brady watch

Admit it: You were tempted to call for Brady Quinn at halftime. Anderson struggled in the second half, but that’s no guarantee Quinn would have been better. Besides, without Anderson’s big game last week, Cleveland would be 0-3.

Quick hitters

Kamerion Wimbley had his first two sacks of the season. One was a straight rush in which he beat the left tackle. The second was a read Wimbley made in recognizing a bootleg by Daunte Culpepper. Josh McCown was booed, then cheered when he was injured. Raiders fans, tired of the team’s stagnant offense, were brutal on a guy who finished with a 109 passer rating and led his team to a 16-10 halftime lead.

Grading the “O”

D: The Browns’ comeback was too little, too late. Cleveland dug itself such a deep hole in the first half against a struggling defense, it didn’t deserve to have a chance to win Sunday. Anderson’s two first-half picks both led to Raiders points. Offensive Coordinator Rob Chudzinski, playing from behind, seemed to panic in the second quarter when he abandoned the running game. Cleveland’s play-action passing left a lot to be desired.

Grading the “D”

F: The Raiders gained nearly 400 yards of offense. Can Cleveland’s defense stop anyone? Oakland converted a third-and-21 play late in the game. Rookie CB Eric Wright is looking like a liability. His bit on a play-action fake and gave up a 41-yard TD pass that broke his teammates’ spirits with a 13-0 deficit.

Grading the coaches

B: As poorly as the Browns played on both sides of the ball, someone deserves credit for this team being in position to sneak out with a win. Crennel did a good job with his team all week and stressed how important it was to win two in a row. The players didn’t play like they wanted to win. They played like they expected to win. That’s not on Crennel. This is the NFL. They should be motivated by themselves. First-half penalties by the offense put them in a hole. Again, that’s not coaching. That’s focus.